Nuclear Power in France Sinks - Literally

Offshore isn't just for wind turbines anymore. (Or tidal power, for that matter.) France already gets a large majority of its power from nuclear reactors, and the country clearly isn't shy about continuing to innovate in the field. The state naval company, DCNS, announced plans to develop and build nuclear reactors designed to sit on the sea floor and send power back to shore.

The reactors, called Flexblue, will range from 50 to 250 megawatts (compare to standard large, land-based reactors, on the order of 800 to 1200 MW). The next phase of development will involve a DCNS collaboration with nuclear companies Areva, EDF and others. Over two years, they hope to establish commercial viability as well as address safety and security concerns with the underwater concept, as well as simply ironing out the technical details.

The Flexblue reactors will come in the form of a 100 meter-long cylinder, with a diameter of about 15 meters. They will be moored to the sea floor at depths of between 60 and 100 meters, no more than a few kilometers from shore. The CEO of DCNS suggested that siting the reactors underwater will reduce risks of proliferation and make them less vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

This idea takes the growing trend toward small modular reactors (SMRs) and adds a twist that probably does increase security, but clearly adds some technical complexity as well. It will be interesting to see if the initial studies can be completed and a prototype installed by 2016, as the company hopes.